Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
He was born Aurelius Augustinus in 354 in a Roman province in North Africa. By his own account, for 30 years he lived a profligate lifestyle, immoral, reckless, indulging in every lustful passion. And in most ways rebellious. He would write about it in a tell-all account called Confessions, in which he also relayed how he had been exposed to the Gospel of Christ, later writing, “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
At the age of 31, he was challenged to read the book of Romans. It is said he thumbed through it and then randomly read chapter 13, verses 13-14: “Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.” It was the transformational turning point of his life. He wrote, “Thou didst call and cry aloud, and didst force open my deafness. Thou didst gleam and shine, and didst chase away my blindness. Thou didst breathe fragrant odours and I drew in my breath; and now I pant for thee. I tasted, and now I hunger and thirst. Thou didst touch me, and I burned for thy peace… The old Augustine is dead, and I am a new creature in Christ Jesus.” He sought out teachers and professors of theology, was later ordained, and became the co-Bishop of Hippo in 395, later becoming a full bishop, a position he held until his death in 430. Beatified by the Catholic Church, he is known today as a great father of the faith, St. Augustine.
It is wonderful when a debauched life is transformed by the power of God. It is just as wonderful when a self-righteous person discovers that need for salvation. Everyone who is in Christ is a new creation. John Wesley said, “Only the power that makes a world can make a Christian.” William McDonald said, “The new creation is not an improvement of or addition to the old, but something entirely different.” Have you yielded your life to Christ? Are you living in the newness He has provided? The newly created life is available to all through Jesus Christ. If you have not yet accepted His work on the Cross, come to Him now. Pray that many politicians will turn to the Lord and answer God’s call upon their lives today.
Today’s Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Romans 13:8-14
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
